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Friday, 2 May 2014

1. What scares you the most? What scares me the most is the possibility of letting everyday life get in the way of living up to my full potential.

2. Why do you write? I write because everyone is put on this planet to add value to the world in some way. I have always lived in my head and expressed myself through words which leads me to believe my value is through the written word.

3. What are you most proud of in your personal life? My 1 year old daughter. She is determined, she is an individual and she is a true blessing.

4. What is the hardest, getting published, writing or marketing? Marketing is the hardest; there are so many forms of entertainment out there and so many things to consume. Promoting and marketing a book is a journey because there are “easier/quicker” forms of entertainment. With reading you have to be dedicated to what you are reading, it takes time and patience.

5. What other ways do you make your income? Is it rare today for writers to be full time writers? I work as a content director and strategist for an advertising agency currently. It is rare for a writer to be full time; more so it is unfortunate that true writers can’t always dedicated themselves to their craft. If our best authors in history had to fit writing in in-between lunch breaks and train rides how much of the great work today would have been created? Not much, I would love a world where we valued the craft of the written word.

6. How much sleep do you need to be at your best? I need 8 hours. Sleeping is one of my favorite pastimes. I can sleep all day; it’s a time where my mind doesn’t belong to me and I am not controlling or trying to control my thoughts. There is no judgment in my dreams and no creative restrictions.

7. What’s the reason for your life? Have you figured out your reason for being here? Yes. To be a creative inspiration and an asset to underserved children and minorities.

"I am hurting. Fractured in places stitches can't heal." Autumn’s Child tells the desperate story of Layla, as a young and naive twelve year-old girl. Over ten critical years, her life quickly changes like the colors of the trees in autumn. The accidental death of her parents forces her to abandon her religious, middle-class lifestyle. She moves to the inner city of Chicago with her grandmother and aunt, her only living relatives.

Layla tries to approach her new life with optimism, but the perfections of her past life haunt her tormented journey. After coming to grips with the reality over the years that her only aunt despises her, Layla soon discovers that she may secretly hold the keys to helping her aunt’s diminishing health in her hands. Layla’s faith and sanity are continuously tested as she matures throughout each season of her life. She stumbles through her newfound reality while learning how to play the distinct set of cards she’s been dealt.

Layla’s neighbor and best friend, Shay, helps guide her from adolescence into adulthood. Autumn’s Child chronicles a life on the opposite side of the coin; where friendships grow out of tragedy, and the pressure of a marginalized life weighs heavily on pure souls. Layla must make many compromising decisions, all while perpetually asking the reader, What would you do?